By John Egbokhan, with agency reports
When Nigeria confront Cameroon in a two-legged Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in August and September, the Eagles will not only be facing the reigning African champions but a side reputed to have the best defensive set-up in contemporary African football.
For the avoidance of any doubt, all but one of Cameroon goals at AFCON 2017 were scored by defenders and defensive midfielders.
Cameroon, with their unprecedented fifth Africa Cup of Nations scoop in Gabon on Sunday, are unarguably, the greatest and only threat standing between the Super Eagles and a sixth World Cup appearance in Russia.
And this is coming barely a couple of months after the Indomitable Lions were technically written off from AFCON success and qualifying for the Russia World Cup after two surprise and uninspiring draws against Algeria and Zambia, leaving them lagging behind Nigeria, who scooped maximum points from two matches, to stay top of the CAF World Cup qualifying Group B.
After two rounds of matches, Eagles lead the way with six points, five goals scored, two conceded, with a goals advantage of three, while Indomitable Lions are in second position, with two points, two goals scored, two goals conceded and a goals difference of zero.
Zambia, rather than Algeria, who were the pre-tournament favourites to win the 2017 AFCON, sit third on the table, with a point, two goals scored, three goals conceded and a goals deficit of a minus one while the Fennec Foxes are rooted to the base of the group, with a point, two goals scored, four goals conceded and goals difference of minus 2.
In the weeks leading to the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign last October, Algeria and Cameroon were the two teams tipped to wrestle for the lone qualifying of the group but after two games, the pendulum swung in Eagles favour and after the 2017 AFCON final, Cameroon are now back in the picture, as the one side more likely to halt Nigeria’s strides to Russia 2018.
And as the August 28th day of reckoning gradually approaches, Coach Gernot Rohr will do Nigeria’s World Cup dream a world of good if he starts marshalling out plans to breach the defence of the Indomitable Lions, which is the bedrock of the team’s success at the 2017 AFCON.
In what observers have described as Cameroon’s greatest triumph in AFCON history, the Indomitable Lions rose from nothing to the highest level of African football when they conquered record seven-time champions, Egypt in Sunday’s thrilling final in Libreville.
While Eagles possess a blend of emerging and established stars in John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Ogenyi Onazi, Carl Ikeme, Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho, to name a few, Cameroon are a team lacking in star-quality but brimming with fighters, not afraid to pull the chestnut out of the fire, irrespective of the attendant dire consequences.
World Cup star, Roger Milla, was the leading light of the victorious 1984 and 1988 sides, while the back-to-back title winners of 2000 and 2002, were led by Samuel Eto’o, a four-time winner of the African footballer of the year award.
But the class of 2017 was devoid of stars.
Prior to Gabon 2017, the most high-profile player in the Cameroon team, Joel Matip, who plays as a centre back for Liverpool, pulled out of the tournament. Six others, comprising Allan Nyom of West Bromwich Albion, Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper Andre Onana, Guy Roland Ndy Assembe of Nancy and Andre Zambo Anguissa from Olympique Marseille, Maxime Poundje of Bordeaux and Ibrahim Amadou from Lille declined to honour their call-ups for the biggest football show-piece in Africa. The players’ excuses ranged from differences with the Cameroon football federation to not wanting to leave their clubs midway through the European football season.
But in retrospect, their absence galvanised those who went to Gabon, even when a row over player bonuses refused to distract this generation of Indomitable Lions from writing their names in the sands of history.
What was notable about that dispute, which saw the players offered a bonus for reaching the semi-finals that was somehow four times smaller than that offered for the quarter-finals, was the way in which coach Hugo Broos publicly backed his players.
“Even without the money, we are still performing and this is very important, it shows that the players are not here for the money, but for the nation,” the Belgian tactician told the world’s media. Treated with less love when he took over despite coming with a trophy-laden CV from Belgium, Broos has surpassed expectations in his first national team coaching role.
He poses a real threat to Nigeria’s World Cup bid because not only has he always said the right things at the right times, he also scouted all the nooks and crannies for players, an evidence of which is that one member of the squad plays in Angola, and impressed both tactically and with his quick decision-making, as seen in his two substitutes against Egypt, who went to score the two goals that won the trophy for Cameroon.
Note the way in which he dropped right-back Ernest Mabouka, who struggled in the opening game, while also being brave enough to change his strikers throughout the group stage as he sought the best format to triumph.
Just 21, goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, kept the side in the tournament with a stoppage-time block against Gabon in their final group game before saving decisively against Senegal’s Sadio Mane in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out.
Ahead of Ondoa, who prior to Gabon 2017, was not even able to get a game for Seville’s B side in Spain, the central defensive duo of Adolphe Teikeu and Michael Ngadeu, Cameroon’s top scorer, were immense.
A disciplined team, they were alert to danger thanks to their excellence in the air and impressive reading of the game, despite only having first played together in September.
Cautious against the Teranga Lions, Broos threw caution to the wind against the Black Stars in the semi-final, sending his boys all-out and they hit the jackpot with a 2-0 spanking of Ghana.
In the final game, this team, whose unity was ever clearer to see, showed yet more courage when coming from behind after Arsenal’s Mohamed El Nenny opened the scoring for Egypt after 20 minutes.
Egypt had not lost a Nations Cup match since 2004, a run of 25 games, but after substitute Nicolas Nkoulou equalised, Vincent Aboubakar, another substitute, produced perhaps the biggest magical moment of the tournament, two minutes from time, lifting the ball over Ali Gabr before netting the goal that clinched a sixth title for Cameroon, Thrown on by Broos at half-time, the substitute was, incredibly, the first Cameroonian striker to score in Gabon. All their other goals were scored by defenders and midfielders, a warning signal that the Super Eagles must take note of ahead of the August 28 showdown in Uyo..
Special mention must also go to captain Benjamin Moukandjo, man of the match in the final, and Christian Bassogog, the fast 21-year-old named Player of the Tournament, and who has been a delight to watch. Two years ago, the winger was playing in the third tier of American football, but after a move to Denmark, where Broos scoured the opinion of some friends, the left winger earned his first cap. That was just 12 weeks ago.
Having overcome countless challenges on the road to winning a first title since 2002, the looks on their faces after the final whistle capped their achievement. Many of the players simply struggled to believe they had done it, one final twist in a tournament full of surprises, but one which was hugely deserved and has now made them to believe they can halt Nigeria’s bid for a place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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